Efficiently Retrieving Function Dependencies in the Linux Kernel Using XSB

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how XSB-Prolog can be used as an effective static analysis tool to automatically identify function dependencies in the Linux Kernel, offering a more efficient alternative to manual analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of XSB-Prolog for static analysis of kernel code, showcasing its efficiency in handling complex graph-based queries.

Findings

XSB-Prolog effectively identifies function dependencies in the Linux Kernel.

Prolog's declarative nature simplifies complex static analysis tasks.

Tabling and indexing in XSB-Prolog improve query performance.

Abstract

In this paper we investigate XSB-Prolog as a static analysis engine for data represented by medium-sized graphs. We use XSB-Prolog to automatically identify function dependencies in the Linux Kernel---queries that are difficult to implement efficiently in a commodity database and that developers often have to identify manually. This project illustrates that Prolog systems are ideal for building tools for use in other disciplines that require sophisticated inferences, because Prolog is both declarative and can efficiently implement complex problem specifications through tabling and indexing.